Draft General Westly Clark for 2004?

July 16, 2003|11:00 AM

You Know Things Are Going Crazy When Barry Diller Starts Pressing Tom Brokaw to Run for President-- Gen. Clark Tells Observer

America Hungry for Leadership


Finding Demo
by Josh Benson, Greg Sargent and Joe Hagan


No, Tom Brokaw is not running for President in 2004.

Last month, despite the urging of his powerful friends, the 61-year-old NBC anchorman categorically ruled out any sort of candidacy. And that should have been that.

But his friends won't let the idea drop. Claiming to see no one with the stature to challenge President Bush among the declared Presidential candidates, they persist.

"He simply is the greatest draft choice you could ever possibly imagine," said media executive Barry Diller. "He's such a natural on so many levels that I can't imagine how you could create it otherwise. Of course it's absurd, but there it is."

Alas, through a spokesperson, Mr. Brokaw reaffirmed his utter lack of interest: "I'm not running for anything, anywhere."

So … what about former General Wesley Clark? Is he running for President in 2004? He has himself been the target of a somewhat more serious draft movement, and he too is a well-recognized public figure. But unlike Mr. Brokaw, the general is not taking his suitors lightly. "You know, in any election there's always a casting about for alternatives," said Mr. Clark. "But this is something that's beyond that. This is a genuine effort by people to create an alternative, not because it's good for the Democratic Party, but good for the country."The one draft movement with a realistic chance of success, it seems, is the one to draft Mr. Clark, who has encouraged speculation by making extensive rounds of the major media outlets and Democratic audiences.

And one other prospective addition to the field doesn't have a draft movement at all, but is being closely watched by Democrats nonetheless: Senator Joseph Biden, who ran in 1988, is said by associates to be considering a late entry into the current contest.

Mr. Clark, who has said that he will reach a decision about whether or not to run within the next few weeks, told The Observer that he thought his draft movement was thriving, in part because of the building pressure on the White House over the economy and Iraq. "I think that the heat that the Bush administration has been taking is, in general, a reflection of the country's unease at the direction in which it's being taken," he said. "It's hand-in-glove with the people who are supporting me, in that they really want an alternative to the current administration.

"I think there's a real hunger for leadership in this country, and I think that's what's manifesting itself right now," Mr. Clark continued. "I think people are looking for someone who can provide that leadership."

Mr. Clark also said that DraftWesleyClark.com was central to the possibility of making the race. "It has a very significant influence," he said. "When you are looking at moving into a field where you've never been before, when you see things like this forming, it makes you seriously consider your options."Web PowerMr. Clark himself said he was amazed by the impact that the Internet has had. "They have really used the power of the Internet in a way that I don't think it's been used before," he said. "I've never seen or heard of anything like it."

Mr. Clark's support group isn't the only one to have found a home online. The Internet has also helped to produce groups like the Gore Majority Movement,the organization run by Mr. Vidali, who refers to the President as "Busholini" and rejects the "little dwarves" who comprise the current field of candidates.

And it helped facilitate the Cusack for President movement, which, when Mr. Cusack pulled the plug in June, was transformed into the BushWhack P.A.C., a catch-all political-action committee dedicated to finding "new ways" to bring about the end of the Bush Presidency.

Until such time as the nomination picture becomes a little clearer, it seems, a good many liberals, centrists and all-around malcontents will continue their search for a silver bullet. Team Brokaw for example, seems to be holding firm to the idea that their man might still, like Dwight Eisenhower, answer America's call and run. Ms. Ephron predicted that if Mr. Brokaw ran, "$20 million would come pouring in in about a week." Mr. Stringer, a loyal Democrat who has donated tens of thousands of dollars to Senate candidates in the past, told The Observer that he is still actively trying to convince Mr. Brokaw to run.

Kurt Andersen, an author and would-be supporter of Mr. Brokaw, had this to say: "I feel as though he'd have an excellent chance of being elected, if people were given the chance to vote for him. My hunch is he'd make a pretty good candidate, and I can't say that about anyone running for President."

You may reach Josh Benson, Greg Sargent and Joe Hagan via email at: [email protected], [email protected] and [email protected].